Instant coffee

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bluemarlin08
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Instant coffee

Post by bluemarlin08 »

Best instant coffee when that is your only option?
Postmon
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Postmon »

Mount Hagen Single Serves or Starbucks Via. I carry them with me when I travel.
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Flobes
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Flobes »

Postmon wrote:...Starbucks Via. I carry them with me when I travel.
+1
DSInvestor
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by DSInvestor »

I like Luzianne Instant Coffee & Chicory:
http://www.reilyproducts.com/Luzianne-I ... icory-8-Oz
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Atilla
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Atilla »

Image
tbradnc
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by tbradnc »

Folgers Singles. Like tea bags, only coffee.

I've tried about everything possible to have a decent cup of coffee in the mornings when I'm on hiking trips. I always come back to the Folgers Singles.
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Toons
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Toons »

Folger Instant :happy
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rooms222
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by rooms222 »

Nescafe Espresso from amazon, ebay, enjoybettercoffee.com, or my local European market. Enjoybettercoffee.com has a wide variety of imports and so does amazon. Also, as noted VIA is good. Deals are sometimes on ebay or Amazon Warehouse Deals.
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tennisplyr
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by tennisplyr »

Tasters Choice ☕️☕️
“Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” -Retired 13 years 😀
Grt2bOutdoors
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

tennisplyr wrote:Tasters Choice ☕️☕️
+1 from Nescafe.
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ResearchMed
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That instant coffee "smell" ?

Post by ResearchMed »

Flobes wrote:
Postmon wrote:...Starbucks Via. I carry them with me when I travel.
+1
DH is the occasional 'instant coffee' drinker. For me, if regular brew/drip isn't available, I'll drink tea (or my signature Diet Coke).

Is there any instant at all that doesn't have that "instant coffee smell"?

I don't have a clue how to describe it ("I know it when I smell it", etc.).

Starbucks Via does have that smell, and it's a smell I can't stand.
I love the smell of brewing coffee, on the other hand.

Just curious, and if there is one, I'd like to try it for taste, too.

RM
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hudson
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by hudson »

bluemarlin08 wrote:Best instant coffee when that is your only option?
just my personal favorite...I'll probably try out some of the other recommendations.

Image

Jan. 2016 Edit: Now I drink Nescafe Clasico thanks to this discussion. Nescafe Red Cup, available in Thailand, could be the same or better.
Last edited by hudson on Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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dm200
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by dm200 »

I drink instant occasionally (for convenience and speed of having a cup).

While I am not fussy about coffee (wet, has caffeine, warm or hot meets my requirements), instant coffee just does not taste very good - compared to brewed or perk coffee.

What I find interesting (puzzling) is that it seems that "instant coffee" has not changed much in 50+ years - and it still tastes like "instant" - not brewed.
niceguy7376
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by niceguy7376 »

I prefer the (asian) indian instant coffee called Bru (Brooke Bond).
mw1739
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by mw1739 »

I've never bought instant coffee. Can any of these be used to make iced coffee, or is hot water always required?
Imbros
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Imbros »

Another instant coffee drinker here (I call it "poor/lazy European's coffee) :) .

Jacobs Kronung is considered to be the best instant coffee by many, including myself. But sometimes it is not easy to find it.
My second favorite is Nestle - Mountain Blend, which is extremely smooth and easy on stomach.
There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth. -L. Tolstoy
littlebird
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by littlebird »

Imbros wrote:Another instant coffee drinker here (I call it "poor/lazy European's coffee) :) .

Jacobs Kronung is considered to be the best instant coffee by many, including myself. But sometimes it is not easy to find it..
Amazon has it.(I dropped the url, sorry). I'm going to try it. Thanks
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CABob
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by CABob »

It's been a number of years since I have had any extensive use of instant coffee, but, when I did use it at work because of convenience I used Kava and thought it was a couple of notches above others.
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rooms222
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by rooms222 »

Also, Mountain Peak from Jamaica is very good, but you usually only find it in Caribbean food stores or Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Jamaica-Mountain- ... B003XIYLPG

It is cheaper (but not cheap) at Caribbean Food stores. Check out the reviews on Amazon.
spth
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by spth »

It's never your only option.
jlawrence01
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by jlawrence01 »

I am done with instant coffee.

My last cup was when my wife used three heaping teaspoons of coffee for ONE cup, the same amount of coffee she used for one POT of normal coffee. I did not sleep for a week.
reneeh63
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by reneeh63 »

I really like Walmart's premium instant - cheap and good.
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climber2020
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by climber2020 »

I like Nescafé Clasico; specifically the one that has Spanish labeling (it can be hard to find). When I traveled through Mexico years back, I was surprised to see that most of the restaurants we ate at served this brand instead of traditionally brewed coffee.
northernisland
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by northernisland »

I saw this in the newspaper a while back and realized that, for me, there's often not a huge taste difference between instant and regular. YMMV:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/won ... nt-coffee/
DTSC
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by DTSC »

Trader Joe's Columbian is not bad
BenJ
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by BenJ »

I think instant coffee is gross. Here in the northwest you can buy fresh roasted beans. We get fresh roasted beans and grind them ourselves. Only takes a couple minutes in the morning to make coffee. I can't imagine why anyone would drink instant coffee on a regular basis.
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ClevrChico
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by ClevrChico »

Nescafe Clasico is my daily coffee. Aldi sells it here in the Latino section very reasonably.

The Asian groceries have a wide selection of instant coffee. Most of it includes sugar and creamer built in. Genius.

People turn of their noses at instant, but it's always fresher than what's in the office break room.
Imbros
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Imbros »

My experience with a couple of brands so far, as far as what I can remember;

Jacobs Kronung (green jar): 8/10. The best one I have had so far. The only instant coffee that is made in Germany. Also it comes in a glass jar instead of a plastic one. It is also the most expensive one around here.
Nescafe - Taster's choice (red jar): 6/10 Average taste and average price. The smell is pretty good but the taste in not there.
Nescafe Clasico (Made in Mexico): 6/10. It comes in a glass jar. I thought it would taste similar to Taster's Choice, but it tastes different (bitter). It smells great though.
Maxwell House: 4/10. I wanted to try this since it is a Mondelez product (formerly Kraft Foods) just like the Jacobs brand. Not even close. Very acidic and slight chemical taste.
Folgers Instant: 2/10. Bad
Nestle Mountain Blend: 7/10. Comes in a plastic jar and widely available in my area. Smells good, tastes better. Reasonably priced.

I have tried Starbuck's VIA in the past but I can't remember how it tasted. It was probably average & forgettable.

EDIT: For what its worth, here is a ranking of 20 brands from Huff Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/0 ... 05887.html
There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth. -L. Tolstoy
rec7
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by rec7 »

Just be careful about drinking a lot of instant coffee or coffee I read that their might be a cancer link.
http://www.curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1728176
Last edited by rec7 on Sun Jan 18, 2015 8:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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nisiprius
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by nisiprius »

Two points: 1) Another vote for Folger's singles.

2) The key to making instant coffee is not to take the word "instant" seriously. It takes perhaps as much as five minutes for the powder to reconstitute completely. And the water has to be very hot. Obviously this means there's no point in using it simply for speed. I think it is at least possible that you could fool someone with instant coffee, like the commercials for one brand suggested, but only if you allow time for the coffee to mix properly. I suspect that one of the reasons why the Folger's singles are fairly good is that the fact that you brew it like tea in a bag encourages you to spend the 3-5 minutes.

3) The last time Consumer Reports looked at it, they noted that instant coffee has about half the caffeine of regular coffee. You must decide if that's "a bug or a feature." It is probably one of the factors that makes instant coffee less satisfying.
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bhsince87
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by bhsince87 »

I make my own!

I do a "cold brew" with fine grind coffee and room temperature water for a day. About 1/4 coffee to water by volume. Mix it up and let it sit on a counter. Then filter and store in the fridge. This will be a concentrate.

Add water at 1 or 2:1 ratio depending on your taste, and nuke until hot. It's awesome!
Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. William Penn
szmaine
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by szmaine »

Cafe Bustelo
texasdiver
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by texasdiver »

Everywhere one goes in Chile there is only one coffee available. Nescafe Clasico. It is a fine powder not the crystal chunks one sees with most instant coffees here. I never drink instant at home because I roast and brew my own coffee from green whole beans. But when in South America I have come to live with the Nescafe Clasico and have even developed a taste for it. When my mother-in-law visits from Chile I have to make sure I have the Nescafe in the house because she won't drink my hand-roasted Guatemalan.

It's kind of funny from an American perspective but when coffee is served after dinner at an upper class Chilean household they will bring out a fancy tea set on a silver tray and the Nescafe powder will be come in fancy china sugar bowl with a little silver spoon and everyone makes up their own instant coffee.

Things are starting to change a bit though. Now there are Starbucks on every street corner in the upscale neighborhoods and they are pushing coffee machines and espresso makers.
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Padlin
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by Padlin »

We do cold brewed too, wouldn't classify it as instant though.

When we travel (RV) we use instant when the jugs of cold brew run out, to much hassle to mess with the grounds when we're away. Will try a few of these instants out next trip, been using Folgers, after a couple days it's okay.
Regards | Bob
bhsince87
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Re: Instant coffee

Post by bhsince87 »

Padlin wrote:We do cold brewed too, wouldn't classify it as instant though.

When we travel (RV) we use instant when the jugs of cold brew run out, to much hassle to mess with the grounds when we're away. Will try a few of these instants out next trip, been using Folgers, after a couple days it's okay.
I should have clarified that with, "Depending on what you desire from instant coffee".

If you're looking for awesome coffee that you can make in a hurry when you're brain dead in the morning, cold brew fits the bill. That's me!

If you're looking for something lightweight and compact for travel, or something to keep on hand for long term storage and quick access, then not so much.
Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. William Penn
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